17th Sep 2016, 21:54

18th Sep 2016, 11:54

Yes, virtually every product or service involves the consumption of fossil fuels. This of course includes the manufacturing of regular cars, hybrids, and pure electrics. But how much fossil fuels are consumed in the operation of these three types of cars every year? The regular car may consume hundreds of gallons of gasoline, but the hybrid may only consume tens of gallons. Of course maintenance and spare parts will also involve consumption of fossil fuels, but I am looking at that as a constant across the board. So unless the production or maintenance of the hybrid involves far larger amounts of fossil fuels, then I would guess that the hybrid car will be the most "green" choice over the lifetime of the car.

18th Sep 2016, 17:47

18th Sep 2016, 21:03

I ran this idea by my wife. Dead set against dealing with this on her commute. Dragging cords out to our trunk etc is a pain. Takes time away from stopping for Starbucks or grocery shopping on the way to work and back.

19th Sep 2016, 01:17

The biggest obstacle to overcome is being inconvenienced. Cheapness is all well and good, but being tethered to hooking up and tethering cords is another. Leaving early in the morning or heading out late is enough to deal with. Most want to park and head inside.

19th Sep 2016, 13:54

What is pointless? Not everyone wants one. It's as if the only alternative is promoting a hybrid car only. Maybe being realistic, more carpooling and promoting public transit. Having a rail system like in Europe. One person travelling in one car of any kind is not the same. I can literally walk or bike to work. It's amazing how far people will drive to work. Maybe move close and save energy. Or start with the biggest polluters on the highways such as tractor trailers exempt from emission tests. Or more testing of alternate fuels to adapt and power the millions of vehicle that are already on the road. And people are keeping cars longer.

20th Sep 2016, 17:05

22nd Sep 2016, 14:43

I can see if it's a green effort. If it's just going for cheap, cheap small car transportation I am not. Life is short and you can't take every nickel with you. Hefty commutes reduce your quality of time home with family etc. I have a good friends in Ct. living in a community where riding or walking is preferable than cars. Our drive to work is less than 10 minutes. And we are home at 4:40 PM. As short as the drive is, it's comfortable and simple. Grocery shopping etc within a few miles. Racking up high mileage on the odometer is not very kind to resale as well.

23rd Nov 2016, 19:44

Another year, another update. Now this car has around 85,000 miles so far and as like the last update a year ago, no problems so far. Despite the car now approaching the 5 year old mark and that it's my heavy-duty commuter-machine, it still looks, rides, and feels like new. The seats and controls show no real wear. Even the original brake pads look barely broken in. The headlight lenses aren't fading.

Maintenance-wise I did have the transmission oil changed along with the oil. That was in July and the oil still shows at 80%, mainly because the car is driven so seldom on gas.

The car routinely still goes about 40 miles on a charge, meaning I typically can get to work, plug it in, and go home, again making it on the battery alone.

The ONLY thing I've noticed is that the value of these first generation Volts has fallen like a rock. Yes - we got ours used and significantly cheaper than new, but even so the values are now below $10k, meaning the trade-in value will be miserably small. But that said, I am now eagerly awaiting for values of the current new Volt to drop as well. Apparently those will go over 50 miles on a charge and do so even if you drive it more aggressively.

All in all, for such a complicated car I've been impressed with how well it has so far held up and would recommend it to anyone. The best factor is just how cheap these are to run. Few oil changes and hardly any engine maintenance, and even the tires and brake pads seem to get very gently worn. The tires that were with the car when we got it still look virtually new with most of the tread still left.

24th Nov 2016, 12:03

Another option is to ask for a raise at work and drive whatever you want with a turn of the key. I love driving with simplicity, comfort and style. That's why so many different kinds of cars are manufactured and being reviewed on here. Lastly I change oil not based by my oil life readout, but by time.

26th Nov 2016, 23:21

28th Nov 2016, 10:52

I also just bought another new Malibu as a gift for my mother. Did not care for the new Cruze as much either. I was pretty impressed with the Malibu. I have test driven most everything offered at my local Chevrolet dealership or rented from Enterprise. There is no better feeling by the way than giving back to a parent. Nothing also like owning a dream car though made by the same manufacturer. What's the point of working hard? Life is short and driving is a lot of fun. To see the expression giving a new car to your mom and driving a fun car is priceless. That's why I have worked beyond retirement.

28th Nov 2016, 16:37

I see there have been some comments on this from various people, and as the owner of this car I'd like to address them as it might also help those who might not fully know what these cars are about, or how to own and operate an EV.

First of all the Volt isn't a cheap econo-car. The Chevy badge is misleading because the actual quality, fit and finish as well as the interior comfort is rather high. Priced new these were over $40,000. They are probably closer to being a middle level luxury car. Like mentioned, we paid way less for ours used.

Second thing mentioned: The "inconvenience" factor of plugging them in. So on a daily basis I walk out to the car and unplug it, hanging the cord on a hanger next to the garage door. This action takes about 2-3 seconds. Then I drive to work and arrive at my parking space where there is another plug... which also takes a handful of seconds to plug in. And then I unplug and drive home where I plug it in again. Now there was mention of how "inconvenient" this is. But on the other hand I only fill this car up at the gas station once every 2-3 months versus every single week. I can say with certainty that it's far less cumbersome to plug my car in at home versus waiting in line at a gas station every single week.

Lastly - not everyone wants a sports car and yes, it is actually possible for a Chevy Volt to be someone's dream car. I make a fairly good income and could afford any number of exotic sports cars of my choice. But the Volt was in fact my dream car. I am a technology enthusiast and when the Volt was announced I followed its development closely and even went to see pre-production versions of it in Detroit. And so I can't tell you how excited it was to actually buy one and I can't wait to get the next generation on either. So if someone thinks a Corvette is wonderful then great. It's just not the car for me nor anyone else other than those who see Corvettes as a "dream car".